Mindfulness Based Addiction and Alcoholic recovery

From 5th – 12th January, 2015, Nagaloka hosted a workshop entitled ‘Mindfulness Based Addiction and Alcoholic recovery (MBAAR)’ designed by Dr.Paramabandhu Groves – in collaboration with Dhammacharini Vimala. The workshop was led by Dhammacharini Vimalsara from Canada. The 24 participants included 20 NTI alumni. The purpose of the workshop was to provide an opportunity for alumni to reflect on the issue of alcohol and addiction in their lives and in their communities, to understand mindfulness and loving kindness meditation, and to introduce the eight steps recovery programme from alcohol and addiction. The session includes teaching related to addiction, Eight Step Recovery Meetings with students, and recovery group meetings with local people from nearby. The facilitators also presented the three minutes breathing space, and the vicious cycle game to overcome addiction.

Alcohol and addiction are problems found all over India. NTI alumni face these problems in their own field areas and localities, and are often challenged by them. Through this workshop alumni were introduced to the concept of addiction, and the skills to overcome it. During the evening meetings, participants were given a chance to speak and express their own experiences or the incidents they have encountered with alcoholism and addiction. Certificates of participation were distributed among participants at the end of the workshop.